Earlier this month, Greenpeace sought to remind its supporters  that Taiwan’s pledge to better manage Pacific fisheries was full of hot air. How did it plan to do that? By launching a hot air balloon of course. Comically, however, wind prevented the balloon from actually flying. Perhaps that’s a metaphor for Greenpeace’s failure to launch serious reforms.

Let’s juxtapose the latest Greenpeace campaign with efforts undertaken by members of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). Months earlier, the ISSF analyzed research compiled by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Scientific Committee. And based on that rigorous scientific evidence, the ISSF developed recommendations to better manage tuna stocks, minimize bycatch and protect endangered species, including:

1. Complete closure of purse seine fishery in the Western and Central Pacific Oceans (WCPO);
2. Stop all transactions with purse seine vessels that transship at-sea to minimize illegal, unreported and unauthorized (IUU) fishing activities;
3. Adopt a limited entry, closed-vessel registry to reduce the number of fishing vessels to a level that is commensurate with the productivity of the WCPO fisheries; and
4. Prohibit deliberate purse seine setting around whale sharks, as well as, adopt mitigation measures for oceanic white tip sharks and blue sharks.

But apparently, science-based policy is not enough for Greenpeace. Instead, the group thinks that encouraging supporters to sign a petition that briefly mentions FADs, purse seine nets and taking action will translate into real solutions for sustainable fishing. After reaching their goal 50,000 signatures (currently less than 2,000), Greenpeace activists plan to drop the petitions off at the WCPFC meeting in Guam.

Meanwhile, ISSF is also meeting in Guam next week to convene stakeholders and take a serious look at fisheries management issues. Yet again, ISSF invited Greenpeace to collaborate with industry, scientists and conservationists. Predictably, Greenpeace stubbornly refused to join.

That Greenpeace will be in Guam to picket the WCPFC but will ignore the ISSF’s presence is just more evidence (not that we didn’t have enough) that Greenpeace has no intentions of deserting their attention-grabbing gimmicks in order to engage in meaningful tuna sustainability work.

So while the real proponents of tuna sustainability roll up their sleeves it appears Greenpeace is content to gather signatures and gleefully fly hot air balloons.